Merno grabbed Gohan's arm and sharply twisted it, the sickening crack echoing through the air as Gohan's arm snapped. Numb to the pain, Gohan could only feel the Angel's crushing grip on his shoulder. "What... happened to my... power?" he murmured after screaming, barely conscious, his strength fading fast.

"Ah, I did say I'd leave you two alive," Merno muttered to himself as Vermont limped over, clutching his chest with blood dripping from his mouth and head. "No need to panic," Merno added with a casual tilt of his head, dodging a blade that sliced past him.

"You really are trying to take my head off," Merno mused, watching Trunks snarl and power up. Trunks swung again, each strike deflected effortlessly by Merno's finger.

"Stop acting like you know me, freak," Trunks spat. Merno's brow twitched at the insult.

"You do realize you're talking to—"

"A washed-up shell of an angel?" Trunks interrupted, his gaze locked onto Merno as his hair shifted from deep blue back to purple. Merno was intrigued.

"Let me guess—you've got some arbitrary power-up?" Merno mocked.

"Call it what you want," Trunks shot back, "but Ultra Ego works for me." His hair floated upwards, and an immense force exploded from him.

Merno's smirk faded, his eyebrow rising in surprise. "That's a lot of Destruction energy for someone who's not a Destroyer God-" he was cut off, dodging just in time as a thin cut appeared on his cheek.

"Where did you come from?" Merno asked, his curiosity piqued. "You transform like a Saiyan, but you utilize destruction? And you're fast enough to land a hit on me... well, on a clone, but still." His tone shifted, clearly more unsettled than impressed.

"That was luck," Merno concluded. Trunks simply nodded.

"Maybe, but luck's part of the fight," Trunks said, vanishing in a burst of speed, surprising Merno yet again. 'I have to spare this one an extra thought—what a warrior,' Merno mused.

Gohan, slowly coming to, grimaced as he felt his twisted arm. Taking a breath, he shifted into Super Saiyan God, letting the healing flames of red divine energy restore the damage. The warmth returned to him, and he stood, making his way to Diana, who lay unconscious with a gaping wound in her chest.

'Diana!' Panic washed over him as he rushed to her side, feeling her ki fading. He channeled his power into her, stabilizing her breath. "You'll be alright," he muttered in relief.

Gohan looked back at Trunks, now forcing Merno to dodge and evade instead of simply blocking with a finger. 'Trunks is... this strong?' he thought, still catching his breath. 'But... something feels different about him.'

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Diana groggily opened her eyes, seeing Gohan standing over her. "You'll be fine now," he reassured her. "But stay near Vermont. Trunks seems to be holding his own for now."

"And what about you?" she asked weakly.

"Me?" Gohan gave her a small smirk. "I'm going to help him." With that, he vanished, transforming back into his Beast form in an instant.

"I need to let go!" Gohan roared to himself as red lightning surged around him. His anger exploded as he charged back into the fray, joining Trunks in the fight against Merno. This time, Gohan was faster, more precise, flipping out of the way to give Trunks room to slash and waiting for Merno's movements to line up with his attacks.

Each second felt like an eternity, the sheer force of their clash rattling the Time Nest. Gohan and Trunks worked together, their strikes synchronized, pushing Merno to actually engage. Merno finally summoned his staff, blocking both a punch from Gohan and a sword slash from Trunks. Twirling the staff with ease, he fended off their attacks, expertly countering and parrying everything they threw at him.

In a blur of motion, Merno caught Trunks's blade between his fingers, landing a brutal strike to his face. "I wasn't joking when I said you cut me with luck," Merno grinned, effortlessly blocking Gohan's furious attacks. He tried to humiliate Gohan by knocking him down, but the Saiyan used his tail to bounce back, using the Afterimage Technique to narrowly dodge another strike.

Merno's eyes narrowed. "Interesting... it seems you're not as broken as I thought."

As Merno raised his arm to block, his eyes briefly widened when he locked gazes with Gohan, whose red eyes glowed with intensity. In that fleeting moment, Merno saw the incredible surge of blue flame surrounding Gohan's ki, with red and black lightning crackling around them. Gohan's voice was calm yet determined. "Let me show you something my dad taught me." As he spoke, the image of a golden dragon coiled around his fist.

High above, Trunks descended swiftly, much like the moment he blindsided Frieza. Merno glanced up, regaining his composure—but in that split second of focus, he missed Vermont, who appeared behind him.

For the first time, Merno found himself restrained by an opponent. His expression darkened as he struggled to free himself, only to realize he'd overlooked a crucial detail.

Gohan lunged forward. "Dragon Fist!" The deafening roar of a dragon echoed through the Time Nest, unleashing a shockwave that flattened everything in its path and sent debris flying in all directions.

As the dust settled, Gohan, now back in his base form and gasping for breath, stared in disbelief at Merno. The angel stood unscathed, Gohan's fist caught effortlessly in his palm.

"Can you control your power?" Merno asked calmly, his voice edged with disappointment. "I'm struggling to understand why you keep failing when you should be succeeding."

Gohan was left speechless. 'What... is going on?' he thought, his mind racing. Before he could react, Merno effortlessly broke free from Vermont's hold, sending him flying with a single blow. In the blink of an eye, the angel delivered a crushing strike to Gohan, sending him reeling. Instantly, Merno appeared in front of Trunks, landing a brutal kick to his chest, shattering ribs and knocking him unconscious.

"Well, I got what I came for," Merno remarked, turning his attention to Enchantress as Chronoa and Ramton arrived, accompanied by several Destroyers.

"I'd suggest using your trump card and meeting up with my original," Merno said nonchalantly. Enchantress nodded, allowing Circe to finally gain the upper hand in their magical duel. But before Circe's spell could land, Enchantress revealed the Rune of Eternity. She chanted quickly, and a spatial crack appeared, then vanished just as fast.

Merno was about to leave when Chronoa called out, "Do you plan on leaving this clone behind?" She held one of Merno's clones tightly in her grasp.

With a chuckle, Merno glanced back. "Keep him. He's served his purpose." As he spoke, the clone began to dissipate into nothingness.